Chigwell, Spanish Restaurant Guide

“Love this restaurant which we’ve been going to regularly since it opened!” – this large, modern brasserie has established itself over eight years as one of the best bets for a meal in Stratford’s East Village, thanks to its “friendly service” and a selection of dishes majoring in steaks and roasts from the charcoal oven. “First time and the hard surfaces made the restaurant very noisy, but the food is very tasty!”

Eat at the counter or grab one of the small tables at this popular tapas pitstop on Stokie’s main drag. Feedback is limited but enthusiastic over its focused menu of seafood and tapas dishes, and the paella served at Saturday lunch and all day on Sunday. Top Menu Tip – half-price oysters before 7 pm weekdays and all day Sunday.

2024 Review: Well predating the gentrification of Columbia Road, this “small, local Spanish restaurant” (est 1982) is worth remembering when browsing for blooms and designer flower pots. It probably won’t re-frame your understanding of Hispanic cuisine, but “prices are reasonable” and the “team are friendly and fun” (albeit sometimes under pressure at busy times).

“This ever-friendly cafe sibling of next door Moro is a wonderful place to eat great tapas” – “especially sitting outside in Exmouth market”. Husband-and-wife team Sam & Sam Clark’s 15-year-old spin-off provides “superb tasty food at very reasonable prices” in a “casual but professional” environment, encompassing “interesting plates” of Spanish and North African-inspired food that is “not pretentious but delivers great enjoyment”. There’s a second branch in Hackney Road.

“Well-executed dishes and great wines” have established this authentic tapas bar as a Crouch End staple in the past dozen years. Founder Stephen (‘Esteban’) Lironi is a Glasgow-born sherry aficionado who started out as a record producer and met his wife, Clare Grogan, as fellow members of post-punk band Altered Images.

“It’s a little crowded and cramped but the food is phenomenal” at Tomos Parry’s “lively, totally welcoming and unstuffy” operation – the clever conversion of the first floor of a Shoreditch pub (over the Smoking Goat) with its own separate entrance. When it opened in 2018, Tomos helped lead the vogue for cooking over fire in the capital and the “fabulous” results here remain “worthy of applause for their creativity, presentation, taste and good value”. “Passionate staff add to the atmosphere as does the open grill and it’s an absolute must-do, especially for a group of foodie friends looking for a fun night”. “From the bread through to the superbly done fish and vegetable-based dishes and a memorable wine list, it’s memorable all round, every time”. Top Menu Tip – “exquisite Turbot” (for which the venue is named… in Welsh!).

2024 Review: Star chef Dani Garcia opened his first UK venture in Shoreditch’s Mondrian Hotel a couple of years ago, to mixed reviews. This up-and-down sentiment continues in feedback to date – some reporters think the Spanish cuisine – paellas, roast and grilled fish and meat, tapas – is “very good” (but encountered “an empty room on a Sunday lunch”); other well-travelled types thought it “underwhelming compared to the wonders of his native Andalusian restaurants”.

From its King’s Cross roots, this tapas chain mushroomed in size in 2025 with its takeover of the former Iberica group, acquiring the latter’s good-looking sites in the process. Reports are slightly uneven, but its early days and the balance is notably positive, especially about the “buzzy” vibe in all locations.

José P’s City “professionally run” outpost in Broadgate Circle becomes “buzzy with the after-work crowd” and it makes “a good midweek date night spot for solid tapas”. Those searching the passionate Iberian cuisine and approach that’s won Sr. P the Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain’s equivalent of a knighthood) should probably head down to his other ventures in SE1 though.

From its King’s Cross roots, this tapas chain mushroomed in size in 2025 with its takeover of the former Iberica group, acquiring the latter’s good-looking sites in the process. Reports are slightly uneven, but its early days and the balance is notably positive, especially about the “buzzy” vibe in all locations.

“Excellent, authentic Spanish food and wine” ensure this expansive operation across two floors of the former Lloyds Bank HQ near the Bank of England appeals to diners from beyond the City’s confines (even if it is also clearly “catering to corporate card-holders”). Its spacious and tastefully decorated premises are unusually hospitable and stylish for somewhere in the heart of the Square Mile. Top Menu Tips – “the croquettas and monkfish are especially good”.

“Never tire of it”, declare the legion of fans of Sam & Sam Clark’s Exmouth Market stalwart, crowning it “still one of the best”; and hailing “top flavours” from a “super-reliable” Spanish/North African menu (“no tweezers here, just very tasty food in generous portions”); all alongside the “buzzy” and “cool” setting and “classy Iberian wines to boot”. “Chaotic” service seems to have been a recurring problem this year, though, and that it’s nowadays too “crowded, rowdy, and highly priced” features in ever-more reports. Top Menu Tips – “top starters include the smoky duck breast with orange, and delicate lamb’s kidneys on toast; charcoal-grilled lamb with beetroot is perfection; the yogurt cake could be described as Moroccan Mess!”

“This ever-friendly cafe sibling of next door Moro is a wonderful place to eat great tapas” – “especially sitting outside in Exmouth market”. Husband-and-wife team Sam & Sam Clark’s 15-year-old spin-off provides “superb tasty food at very reasonable prices” in a “casual but professional” environment, encompassing “interesting plates” of Spanish and North African-inspired food that is “not pretentious but delivers great enjoyment”. There’s a second branch in Hackney Road.

Same name, different formulae for the Hart Bros’ duo of Latino grills, named for a Spanish ‘parrilla’ (grill). The N1 original is a large outdoor terrace (plus heaters) scenically located off Coal Drops Yard, and you prepare your own food at mini-grills on each table. The SE1 spin-off is in the newish Borough Yards development and provides similar fare, but prepared for you in the kitchen. The latter does win praise for its “lovely Spanish food and very good service”, but feedback generally on both locations is sparse, hence we’ve left it unrated this year.

“Forget hopping on a budget flight to the famous Cal Pep in Barcelona…” – the original inspiration for the Hart Bros’ genius small group of tapas pitstops – “… here in London you can sit at the counter, with the fun of watching mouthwatering tapas being prepared in front of you, so delivered piping hot (and best is the unbeatable fresh fish cooked ‘a la plancha’)”. “From the greeting to the explanations of the dishes, service is knowledgeable and caring”; there’s “a good choice of Spanish wines and sherries”; and the “superb” overall formula has made them one of the most popular destinations in our annual diners’ poll for almost 20 years now, even if the feeling has grown that “merely a small selection of dishes can incur eyewatering bills”. Top Tips – “the best atmosphere is had eating perched on a stool at the counter, but the Adelaide Street branch does have comfortable table seating downstairs”. On the Menu – “specific praise for the mojama”; “especially lovely prawn stuffed tortilla, seabream and the crisp aubergine with honey”; “tasty rabbit paella”; “squid croquetas are a perfect combo – crunchy on the outside, unctuous within”. “Shout out for the basics: lovely oils, bread etc…”